The present disclosure relates to a thrust reverser for a turbofan engine and more particularly to a hidden blocker door device of the thrust reverser.
Turbofan engines are known to include a fan section that produces a bypass airflow for providing the majority of engine propulsion and a combustion or core airflow for compression, mixing with fuel, combustion and expansion through a turbine to drive the fan section. The engines further include nacelles that partially surround the core of the engine, include a pylon for securing the engine to a structure such as an aircraft wing, and provide an annular bypass airflow duct for directing the bypass airflow in a rearward direction to produce forward propulsion. The nacelles may further include thrust reversers capable of redirecting the bypass airflow from the rearward direction to, at least partially, a forward direction thus producing rearward propulsion. As an example, such rearward propulsion may serve to decelerate the forward motion of an aircraft soon after landing.
Thrust reversers may include a plurality of blocker doors physically capable of changing positions through mechanical and hydraulic linkages from a stowed position for forward propulsion and to a deployed position for rearward propulsion. There exists a need to improve such linkages and reduce linkage obstruction in the bypass airflow duct.